Author Description

"Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen is one of the most influential theatrical works ever written. It is a powerful music-drama on a grand scale, a full appreciation of which depends on an understand-ing of exactly what is being sung. Wagner's German was deliber-ately archaic and romantic; until recently, there has been no singing translation which transmits with genuine feeling the complex and literate text, matching the stress and inflection in the score. This translation, commissioned by the English National Opera Company for their highly successful production of The Ring in English, is the work of Andrew Porter, music critic of The New Yorker. The edition includes a German text and Mr. Porter has provided an essay dealing with the problems of translating the work."--Publisher's description.